SciSports

SciSports provides data intelligence solutions tailored for the global football industry, serving professional clubs, federations, player agencies, and media companies. The company was founded in 2012 by Giels Brouwer, Anatoliy Babic, and Remco van der Veen, originating from Brouwer's university thesis and a passion for the video game 'Football Manager'. Inspired to create a real-life version of the game using actual data, the founders established the company as a spin-off from the University of Twente. A significant milestone was the acquisition by the Vanad Group in November 2024, a move intended to accelerate growth in sports technology. Following the acquisition, Vincent van Renesse van Duivenbode continues as CEO.

The company's business model is centered on a subscription-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. This platform provides clients with tools for player recruitment, performance analysis, and opponent analysis. For recruitment, SciSports offers a comprehensive database of over 270,000 male and female players across more than 250 leagues, which helps clubs and agencies identify and compare talent efficiently. Clients can filter players based on a wide range of metrics, including the proprietary SciSkill Index, performance statistics, and estimated transfer value. The platform also supports performance and opponent analysis by integrating with existing data sources like GPS tracking and video footage to offer a centralized hub for coaches and analysts.

SciSports' product suite features two core offerings. The first is a data scouting platform that utilizes machine-learning algorithms to analyze over 2,000 matches weekly and provides actionable insights. A key feature is the SciSkill Index, a metric that assesses the current skill, potential, and market value of every professional player worldwide. This allows for objective comparison of players globally. The second key product is BallJames, a fully automated 3D tracking technology. Using 14 cameras installed in a stadium, BallJames captures the real-time movements of all players and the ball, generating precise 3D data on actions like passing speed, sprint strength, and player positioning. This technology, developed in partnership with the University of Twente, aims to provide deeper analytical insights and has the potential to enable future applications like 3D match streaming and holograms.

Keywords: football analytics, data intelligence, player recruitment, sports technology, performance analysis, opponent scouting, SciSkill Index, BallJames, soccer data, data scouting, football transfers, talent identification, sports data, player valuation, match analysis, football operations, team management, player tracking, sports SaaS, athletic performance insights